This question is sort of coming up in my game. I'm running the team against a group of ghouls, and one of the team is a shapeshifter. Now my question to all of you is this: Can a Shapeshifter catch HMHVV, and if they can what happens?

No, they can't. Or more correctly, there's no HMHVV variants for shapeshifters.

Thank you for your prompt response.

Canoninically? No.

If you wanted, you could make houserules. After all, in every fan fiction/anime/cheesey scifi movie, there are vampire dogs.

Go figure, huh?

And in Underworld, there's even a vampiric werewolf! Though it doesn't improve the movie.

Well, considering a werewolf is of the canine family (might be slightly removed, but that's unimportant), I'm still, more or less, correct.

Hmm... WMWVV... Nah, too easy to get lost in all the sharp angles.

Hmm...Abominations in Shadowrun...and my vampire hunter Helios facing one...that would be fun!

the real question is, do you want to deal with the player whose shapeshifter character catches it?

Hell hath no fury like an SR player afflicted with HMHVV...

My understanding of HMHVV is that if there isn't a creature described as (meta)-infected version of said disease like the doznoqui(can't remember how to spell it, let alone pronounce it) is a troll with HMHVV then the disease simply kills them outright, mutated beyond the capaccity for mother nature to accept it's existence.

No, Dzoo Noo Qua exist, and continue to do so, after infection.

Dwarves are either killed outright or become feral as a Goblin.

I know they exist. It's what comes from a troll being infected. What I'm saying is, if critters didn't detail the race+HMHVV then the disease kills it. Hence, if a shapeshifter catches the disease and succumbs to it, they are dead, an ugly twisted lump of flesh, dead.

How exactly does HMHVV kill a wereform? Does it do damage? Or (God forbid) some form of Attribute damage so when Attribute=0, the shapeshifter dies?

You have to distinguish the form of infection:

1. Infection power => The victim has to be drained to Essence = 0. So it's most definitely not the virus that kills a victim, but the fact that all life force has been drained. HMHVV then revives certain victims (that have to feed on Essence pretty soon, or they'll "die" again), the rest simply remains dead

2. Pestilence power => Here the virus seems only to infect certain species (depending on virus type), while others remain unaffected. But it says nowhere that such unaffected species "die" upon contact with the virus ...

koala aint human either but they get HMHVV and become drop bears

Actually, I believe Drop Bears do not have HMHVV, but a similar virus that does not result in vampiric tendancies or the ability to transmit the virus to humans.

Drop bears have a virus similar to HMHVV, but it isn't contageous to humanity and doesn't even have a power to infect other koala.

Chupacabra have DNA segments that resemble HMHVV, but no actual active virus.

Sasquatches can catch the HMHVV-2 variant, known for loup-garou and fomorians.

So that's three critters which show some connection with HMHVV. A vampirism virus may exist for more species than humans and koala, but none has been stated in the books yet.

If you plan to introduce a vampiric shifter, start with the vampiric version of the base animal. It will only be a matter of time before the PCs realize that the shifter of the same species that you introduced earlier could potentially catch that vampirism variant...

actually the Shifter is a PC, the question is do I have to worry about having an HMHVV shifter on the team (cause you know that would be really hard to plan a run for) or not, and so far the general consensus is not.

But if I ever decide to hit them with that I'll be sure to keep the suggestion in mind